enJOY it
an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.
Category: military
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I'm home in Sacramento. My dad is on his way home from the airport with my little/big brother who just flew in from LA. Frank Sinatra is on the CD player. I have two loaves of bread to bake and (what else?) Brussels sprouts to make. There is more than enough coffee to go around.…
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decided to not just survive this deployment, but do my best to thrive. visited girlfriends in LA, Chicago, New York, Canada, St. Louis and Sacramento. saw Paul's friends in San Francisco. planned a birthday surprise. played a third wheel and a fifth wheel. programmed my phone with all the important numbers. happily drank a half…
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When Paul and I first moved in together in August 2007, he had already lived in an apartment for five years. Four years with friends when he lived in Berkeley, and one on this own – his first year of med school. I came almost straight from the sorority house. We each brought a bag…
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Paul left three months ago today. I wouldn't say it gets easier, but you do settle into the habit of being apart. Right now, the luxury of having him near seems … well, like a luxury. It's something I can't really imagine. I think we are almost halfway through. And while I still can't see…
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I had an entirely different "magic monday" post written and set to go live in this spot today. It was about how I was able to drive up to LA and see a USC football game this past weekend and how awesome it was. It talked about how I loved college and enjoy stepping back…
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You were my empty month. You were my clear calendar page. You were the month that I didn't know how I was going to get through. Because all the other months? They have plans. Their calendar boxes have text in them. Those other months have plane tickets bought and road trips scheduled. They have holidays…
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A very sweet reader just sent me a link to this amazing "coming home" video. This young couple was separated for seven months just like Paul and are going to be and had their reunion filmed. I really loved it and encourage you to watch if you have seven minutes. But beware, your keyboard, shirt…
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On September 11, 2001, I woke up early and got ready to go to school. I was a junior in high school. My friend Erin, who I carpooled with, called and told me to turn on the TV. I started watching just as the second plane hit. I remember thinking it had to be an…
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The thing about deployments is…they suck. That's really the bottom line. At least from where I am sitting. But sadly, they are a part of the game for us and so we keep going. I have some days that are great and I'm feeling good about my routine. And others where my friend, Self-Pity comes…
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When Paul left, we figured we would be able to video chat often. But when he got there, the internet connection wasn't strong enough to support it. This morning, for some reason, it worked and we were finally able to see each other. Had I known it was coming, I might have done something about…
enJOY it 